Manziel will start training camp as backup - Pettine

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine has revealed that Josh McCown will begin training camp as the starting quarterback ahead of Johnny Manziel.

Manziel's rookie season with the Browns was marred by off-the-field problems and saw start just two games in which he failed to score a passing touchdown, although he did register one on the ground.

The 2014 first-round pick was released from rehab last month but evidently still has a long way to go to win the starting job.

"We invested a first-round pick on a quarterback last year, and a lot of people expect us to bail on Johnny after one season," Pettine told 92.3 The Fan.

"But it's on us as coaches to win with what people perceive as a less-than-stellar quarterback situation.

"With so many college programs running the spread [offense] it becomes that much harder to find a quarterback that's NFL ready.

"So the league is at a crossroads and will either have to go to the spread, or draft guys that are going to be bridge quarterbacks.

"Josh has proven that in the right circumstances he can be successful. We look at last year [with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers] and think a lot of things were outside of his control.

"When you build the team right it minimises the quarterback's importance."

As for last week's draft, Pettine said the Browns did not make a strong play for quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was taken second overall by the Tennessee Titans, after finding out his lofty price tag.

"We did not, we did not," Pettine said when asked if the Browns pushed for Mariota. "We knew what the price tag would be, and viewed it as reckless to spend that much on one player."